Astronomical Events for 2019

by Malcolm Porter

This list has been built around the idea of the Astro Highlights being largely visible to the naked eye, through binoculars or through a small telescope or that can be imaged using a digital camera that has at least a manual (M) setting.

As you will see there are, subject to reasonable weather conditions, a whole raft of viewing/imaging opportunities in 2019. However, please check the accuracy and completeness of the information presented before setting off to view.

3rd December 2018 – The Crescent Moon, Venus and Mercury are together in the pre-dawn

5th December 2018 – 21:00 UT – Mercury is 2 degrees south of the Moon

7th December 2018 15:00 UT – Mars 0.04 is degrees north of Neptune

9th December 2018 05:00 UT – Saturn is 1 degree South of the Moon

12th December 2018 – Comet 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion and moving from Taurus and into Auriga, magnitude – various guesses between +2.9 and +5.5!

14th December 2018 08:00 UT – Geminid Meteor shower is at its peak with the Moon out of the way

15th December 2018 11:00 UT- Mercury is a morning object at greatest western elongation of 22 degrees but low in the sky

21st December 2018 – Winter Solstice

21st December at 2018 19:23 UT– Occultation of 104 Tauri (Magnitude +4.9). Is it a double star???

21st/22nd December 2018 – Mercury will be 0.8 degrees north of Jupiter

22nd December 2018 – Ursid Meteor shower – Moon in attendance!

Venus starts the month as a crescent and by mid-month rises some four hours before the Sun and by the end of the month has faded a little from magnitude -4.7 to -4.5 and will appear as a ‘quarter phase’.

Throughout December we are presented with great riches, particularly in Taurus, with the Hyades and the Pleiades, Orion with its Nebula M42 and Gemini with its open cluster M35.

11th May 2019 02:00 UT – The Beehive Cluster is 0.0 degrees south of the Moon!

22nd May 2019 23:00 UT – Saturn is 0.5 degrees north of the Moon. Occultation is again visible in parts of Australia!

Towards the end of the month Mercury moves away from the Sun, shining at a Magnitude of-1.4 and not setting until after 09:00 UT!

Jupiter rises around 10:00 UT at magnitude -2.5

Saturn rises about 00:00 UT at magnitude +0.4

Time to take a look at the Summer Triangle and, in particular, adjacent to Vega you will see Epsilon Lyrae which binoculars will show you is a double star and a moderate telescope will show you that it is a double, double star!

May is also a good time to look for probably the most famous globular cluster Messier 13 in the constellation of Hercules visible as smudge in binoculars or a small telescope, however, a medium size telescope will start to resolve the cluster into individual stars.

Look to the South to see constellation Sagittarius and the centre of the Milky Way, or almost above your head to see, with a small telescope or binoculars or image with a DSLR, the North America Nebula in Cygnus, another celestial object which looks like its name!

Jupiter still bright at magnitude -2.0 but now setting by around 08:30 UT

Saturn fading gently to magnitude +0.5 and setting around 10:30 UT

Look for the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) by finding the square of Pegasus and tracking the stars away in an easterly direction along a sort of bent arm of stars.Should be relative easy to see through a small telescope or binoculars

Look for Messier 15, an amazing globular cluster which is home to an estimated 100,000 stars, is to the lower left of the constellation Pegasus. It appears as a smudge in binoculars or a small telescope, however, a telescope of 6 inches or more will start to resolve it into beautiful individual stars.

14th December 2019 18:00 UT – The Geminid Meteor shower at peak, however the Moon will be in attendance

22nd December 2019 04:19 UT – Winter Solstice

23rd December 2019 03:00 UT – Ursid Meteor shower – This year the Moon should not interfere too much!

29th December 2019 01:00 UT – Venus is 1.0 degrees north of the crescent Moon

Mars rises at about 05:00 as it starts its path towards a favourable position in October 2020 when it will not be as close as in 2018 but will be higher in the sky when viewed from the UK

Take a look at the constellation Auriga with Capella the 6th brightest in the sky. Also, with binoculars or a small telescope, look for three pretty open star clusters within the body of the constellation, Messier 36, 37 and 38.

Don’t forget the Orion Nebula, one of the few clearly visible in our light polluted skies! Always worth pointing binoculars, a telescope or a camera in the direction of Messier 42!